


Finding a Hot Tea

by Zeplerfer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Coworker Romance, Gift shopping is hard, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:44:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8879977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/pseuds/Zeplerfer
Summary: As usual, Alfred has waited until the last minute to find a present for his office gift exchange. Fortunately for him, it seems someone else is in the same predicament...





	

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on tumblr back in 2015, but I never got around to uploading it to AO3. Now seems like a good time to add it to my stories!

As usual, Alfred had left his gift shopping to the last minute. He needed something under $10 for his gift exchange at work, he wanted something that would impress his colleagues, and he needed it fast.

Like a man on a mission, he strode through the imported food aisles of World Market and tried to think about what his many international coworkers liked. Alcohol? Well, yes, they did like it, but that was probably a poor choice. Office holiday parties already had a bad enough reputation without adding more booze to the mix.

Perhaps something sweeter… His eyes lit up as he came to the candy aisles. Candy was always a good choice, right? Who didn’t like candy? Of course, his coworkers might think that he had picked out a gift based on his own tastes so he could steal it during the gift exchange.

Alfred sighed. Unsure what else to do, he kept walking until he arrived at the coffee and tea aisle at the back wall of the store. Unbidden, an image sprung to mind of a cute coworker in a different department who was always walking back and forth to the kitchenette with a cup of tea. He had pretty eyes and a cute butt and always wore perfectly tailored clothes that showcased his long legs. Alfred sometimes ran into him in the hallway after he had done his own coffee run to Starbucks and they had gotten to the point where they nodded amiably at each other while walking past, but he’d never quite worked up the courage to introduce himself and start a conversation.

Maybe if he brought tea as a gift, his coworker would pick it and they would have an excuse to talk at the party! It was a perfect plan up until the moment Alfred actually saw the tea selection. There were so many he was never going to be able to choose a good one on his own. He looked around for an employee to ask for help and spotted one over by the coffee selection. As he drew closer, he realized the employee was already helping someone else.

“Well, to start with, do you want coffee beans or ground coffee?”

“I’m not really sure,” an accented voice replied. His voice sounded familiar, but he was blocked from Alfred’s view by a display of coffee mugs. “Which makes a better gift?”

“Probably ground coffee unless you know they have a grinder.”

“I see. And what sort of coffee do Americans like?”

The employee laughed. “We don’t all like the same type! In my experience, people either like strong coffee or they like the flavored ones.”

“Hmm. Well, he likes sweets, so probably one of the sweet ones? I don’t suppose you have Starbucks coffee?”

“No Starbucks, sorry. If you want flavored, you probably can’t go wrong with French vanilla.”

“Ugh. What is it about the vanilla that makes it French?”

The employee blinked. “You know, I have no idea.”

“Skip the French vanilla. The Illy medium roast is my favorite,” Alfred said, interrupting because it sounded like this coffee conversation was going to last forever and he wanted the employee to come over and help him with the tea selection.

A hand reached for the coffee Alfred had mentioned. As the person finally came into view, Alfred gaped. It was his cute coworker! And despite never drinking a drop of coffee himself, he was buying it for the gift exchange. Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Lots of people liked coffee. Then again… he had mentioned Starbucks and sweets…

“Thank y—” The man turned to thank Alfred and froze midsentence as he suddenly realized who he was talking to. “Oh. Hello.”

“Hi,” Alfred replied. The coffee itself might not have meant anything, but he was willing to bet that those pink cheeks did. Maybe he wasn’t the only one looking for a conversation starter.

“Can I help you with something, sir?” the store employee asked Alfred, oblivious to the frozen staring contest that was going on between the two young men.

“Uh, tea?” Alfred asked.

The employee sighed. “Let me guess, you have no idea what you’re looking for and you want me to walk you through the different types.”

“Twinings Peppermint,” the cute coworker interrupted.

Alfred grinned. “Just show me where that one is.”

They talked about the difficulties of Christmas shopping on the way to the cash register and Alfred felt his heart grow merry and light. He'd never been so pleased with himself for leaving his gift shopping until the last minute. He was also thrilled to see the long lines at the cash register, giving him even more time to chat with his coworker. It was only when they finished paying that Alfred realized he had forgotten to ask a very important question.

"You know, it's a little weird that I know your favorite tea, but not your name," he remarked as he carried his grocery bag out into the parking lot.

"Kirkland," his cute coworker replied. "Arthur Kirkland."

Alfred laughed at the James Bond reference and held out his hand. "I'm Alfred F. Jones," he replied. Even through his gloves, he could tell that Arthur had a warm, strong grip.

"What's the F stand for?"

"Fabulous."

Arthur snorted. "No, really."

"Flirtatious?"

"That I would believe." Arthur's cheeks tinged pink, perhaps from the cold or perhaps from something else. "Well, Alfred Flirtatious Jones, I'll see you at the party tomorrow."

"Right!" Realizing that he was still shaking Arthur's hand, Alfred dropped it and smiled in embarrassment. As sad as he was to let go, his car was parked on the other side of the lot and it would be awkward to hold hands too long. He lifted up his grocery bag and gestured to the tea. "I hope you get it."

"We'll see. Either way I think I'll end up with a hot tea." Arthur winked and walked away.

It took Alfred the entire walk back to his car to get the joke, but when he did, he spent the whole ride home wreathed in smiles.


End file.
